Who we are

Joanne’s legal career started in the mid-1990s as a Research Assistant in the Institute of Maritime Law at the University of Southampton.  She then joined Ince & Co, spending nearly a decade working in the London and Piraeus offices. Joanne relocated home to Northern Ireland with her young family and spent 14 years at one of Northern Ireland’s longest established law firms, continuing to practice maritime and insurance law and adding to that haulage and freight forwarding work. She has now returned to the City of London, bringing with her the extensive knowledge and expertise that she has developed and furthered since then.

Joanne’s clients know that she is a safe pair of hands: she understands their business and how they operate, sees the bigger picture, speaks clearly and with authority, and focusses on getting the best outcome for them, as cost-effectively as possible.

Joanne will remain in Northern Ireland as a point of contact to clients and other maritime stakeholders.

Wet and dry shipping, marine infrastructure and off-shore

Joanne has been involved in a number of high-profile casualties and has been mentioned in Chambers UK Solicitors Guide as a notable practitioner in her field “well regarded for her insurance and marine casualty practice, where she has acquired an impressive range of expertise”, including representing clients in investigations and prosecutions. She has been involved in developing modern Admiralty Law in Northern Ireland, representing clients successfully before the Court of Appeal in Belfast on a long-running arrest. Joanne acts for all the different stakeholders in dry shipping and can advise on the usual contentious and non-contentious issues, from the straightforward to the very complex. She has also built up a successful practice assisting clients in the marine infrastructure project and off-shore sectors, particularly in relation to negotiation of charterparties.

Sale and purchase

Joanne represents sellers, buyers and banks and focusses on the sale and purchase of luxury yachts, fishing boats, workboats and marine plant.

Haulage and freight forwarding

Joanne advises on all aspects of haulage and freight forwarding, having acted for some of the UK’s largest hauliers and freight forwarders for many years.

Personal injury

Joanne has Inquest experience; she deals with personal injury claims arising from marine accidents, including fatal accident and complex loss claims on behalf of insurers.